Battle Dex 1: Type Studies
by Eclipseon94
Summary: The first in a series of five manuals written from the perspective of gym leaders and conference qualifiers. Includes type-wide lore and cultural tidbits. (Fanon expansion.)
1. Introduction

At some point or another, everyone who battles or watches them from the sidelines has looked up information that pertains to the situation. Maybe it's for their own knowledge, or maybe it's to better understand the nuances of strategy- and tactic-heavy competitions. Regardless of the many likely motivations, our job as the authors of this guide is to take our readers and students through a five-step process of assimilation.

Please note that if you have purchased this series manual as an e-text, images may not be compatible with your e-reader of choice.

 _Authors:_

Dr. Earl Dervish, Ph.D.  
Roxanne Brunhilde, Gym Leader  
Candice Rhonwen, Gym Leader  
Justin Gilen, Precept Gym Leader  
Dr. Giselle Idrill, Ph.D., Indigo Conference Finalist

 _Other Books in Series:_

Battle Dex #2: Informed Abilities  
Battle Dex #3: Technique  
Battle Dex #4: Applied Strategy  
Battle Dex #5: Ancient and Modern Military Tactics


	2. Normal

Compromised of currently ninety-seven thoroughly documented individuals (13.5% of all adequately researched pokemon), normal-types are the second-most common type after water. Calculations will be adjusted for all types, pending Alola's additional research, in the 2nd Edition.

The sheer commonality of normal-types makes it no surprise that they have become a world-wide staple - often easy to find, often easy to work with. There are always exceptions to the rule, of course, but the place to begin is at ground zero: Statistics and traits.

 **The Basics:**

In a STC (Standard Type Chart), the normal-type only has four connections:

\- No obvious strengths.

\- Weakness to the brawn of fighting-types.

\- Minimal effectiveness against rock- and steel-types.

\- Blatant lack of usefulness against ghost-types without the application of _odor sleuth, foresight,_ or being a carrier of the _scrappy_ ability.

Defensively, normal-types are a mixed bag. Most species in this group tend to have solid defenses and fair stamina, while some - such as zangoose - are exceptional offensive players. Due to recent trends seen in the competitive rings, however, it is becoming more and more important for there to be a check against the fighting-types that so readily destroy normal-type teams. The technique _flying press_ is particularly worrisome to trainers who raise deerling, as that particular move is a dual fighting-flying angle that could lead to severe injury.

Offensively, they're much of the same. They simply aren't effective against the rest of the STC. However, they also have a current total of 172 techniques to their type-pool; each a different tool at their disposal. A creative trainer can come up with numerous solutions even if challenged to stay within a single-type ratio. (Examples can be found on Battle Network's website, which is in and of itself a cornucopia of resources for the dedicated student.) Normal-types are hardly restricted to the control pool, however. Most species have access to a widely varied pool of techniques that only serves to make them more versatile and more popular with beginner and intermediate battlers.

Notable: Bullet point four lends itself to a unique solution. If your team includes a pokemon that meets one of the three listed criteria, that pokemon offers an unparalleled level of coverage due to the wide availability of dark-, ground- and fighting-type moves to this type set. If your battler is trained to either withstand a strike or land it first, the coverage offered by special training will make your normal-type a formidable foe even against the species that stand strong against it.

 **Type-Specific Traits or Abilities:**

N/A, beyond a general hardiness of the breed.

 **Culturally:**

Normal-types may be acknowledged to exist in great number, but they're also associated with change - the ever adaptable eevee is a poster child for this ideal, just as an ubiquitous rattata or sentret is related to someone's ability to simply sink into their surroundings. Continuing with the theme of change, there are seven normal-types who posses techniques or abilities that lend themselves to this level of keen adaptability.

 **Notable Specialists:**

Whitney of Goldenrod, Johto; Gym Leader  
Norman of Petalburg, Hoenn; Gym Leader  
Lenora of Nacarene, Unova, Gym Leader (Retired)  
Cheren of Aspertia, Unova, Gym Leader


End file.
